Ditching plow



Oct. 22, 1935;v R. G. LE TOURNEAU 2,018,138

DI'I'CHING PLOW y Filed Fe... 9, 1934 ,5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lu L I I9 f8 I INVENTOR R.G.LeT0w/zeaa v E" Q .um

v ATTQRNEY Oct. 22, 1935. R. G. LE TOURNEAU DITCHING PLOW Filed Feb. 9, 1954 s sheets-sheet 2 RLeTour/zeaw ATTORNEY Oct. 22, 1935. R. G. LE ToURNEAU 0182138 DITCHING PLow Filed Feb. 9, 1934 3 Sheets-A-Sheet 3.

INVENTOR R. (LeTour/zeaw BY Q mm;

TT'ORNEY Patented 1.935

v/U-Nrrrfzp STATES PATENT OFI-ics nrronmc rLow Robert G. Le Tourneau, Stockton, Calif. Application February, 1934, serial No.' '11u54 3 claims. (ci. :r1-es) caving in. The plow is therefore especially suitable and has been. particularly designed for use in relatively dry or crumblydirt,v which renders it impossible for the ordinary ditching plow to successfully leave a clean ditch behind.

' i5 A further object of my invention is to construct the plow so that without the use of any relatively moving parts,. all the dirt as it is cut or dug is raised to the surface of the ditch and deposited on the ground to one side of-the ditch. By means 20 of this simple yet emcient arrangement there is practically no wear on any part other than the edges of the cutting blades, since there area-'no bearings or similar members which will become Aabraded by dirt or which require lubrication to 26 keep them functioning. v

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal ofthe following specification and claims.

v In `the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views: Figure 1 is a. side elevation ofthe plow in a transporting position. Figure 2 is a similar view 4of the plowin a dig- 36 ging position.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section onthelineI-3ofFigure2.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the plow. Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral I denotes a rigid hollow tongue adapted at its forward end for supporting connection to the draw bar of a tractor. At the rear-.end of thel tongue y 'a hollow plow beam 2 extends as a rigid continuation thereof, vsaid. beam being formed with a rearward extension 3 of rectangularformin cross section and which depends to a bottom termination some distancebelow the bottom level of the beam 2 and the tongue. Thetongue is supported 'adjacent its rear end by transversely spaced wheels I. These wheels are mounted in connection'with radial arms 5 disposed to the sides of the tongue inwardly of the wheels and projecting from transverse beams 6 I6 above the tongue. These beams are pivoted at' 1 their ends as atj'l bearing ,plates 8 mounted on the tongue and at the ends of a vtransverse beam I rigid with the tongue. Other radial arms Il in the longitudinal plane of the arms 5 and 'rigid therewith extend upwardly from the beams 6 and 5 are connected at their outer ends by a cross beam I I overhanging lthe tongue. A sheave 'block I2 is mounted on said cross beam while Vone sheave block I3 is xed on the tongue ahead of the sheave I2. 'A cable I4 projects rearwardly from a suitm able power unit on the tractor and extends about said sheaves while being anchored in connection with either one of the same, (this being immaterial) so that a pull on the cable causes the arms III to be pulled forwardly and downwardly. This 15 relatively lowers the arms 5 and the wheels mounted thereon and consequently raises the tongue and the plow beam projecting therefrom.

A standard I5 is formed on one side of the plow beam adjacent its forward end, said standard lue- ,o ing vertical and smooth.' on its outer surface and extending down to a bottom vlevel adjacent that of the rear extension 3 of said beam. A blade I8 is mounted on said standard, this blade having a rearward and upward slope in a longitudinal dig5 rection, as well as an inward and rearward slope in a transverse direction. A short distance rearwardly of the standard l5, another similar standard I'I depends from the plow beam on the opposite side thereof, the rear edge of which standard ,Q

throughout its length joins the corresponding side wall 3a of the extensionf3. A blade I8 is moun on the standard I1 at the same level as the blad I6 and Vwith a similar longitudinal slant and being. also set with an inward and rearward slope; In 3| other words, these two blades are disposed'so as to cut the side walls of the ditch and throw the cut dirt inwardly toward the central area of the ditch.

Extending transversely of the beam extension rearwardly of the blade I8 and for the full width between the side walls of said extension and the opposite edges of the blades I6 and I8 is a straight blade I9 having an upward slope to the rear at an acute angle less than that of the blades I6 and '45 I8. This blade ofcourse engages the bottom of the ditch and cuts the same straight across from side to side. Said blade I9 is disposed at the forward end of 'a similarly sloping floor 20 which extends at full lwidth and length of the extension to 'u the upper rear end of the same. The extension is open on the side of the standard'li from the rear edge of the same to and extendsfalong the adjacent edge of the floorso as to provide a dirt dis.. charge opening 2l. Said extension however on u the opposite side is completely closed by a deflecting wall 22.

This wall cuts across the floor and extends the full .height of the opening and from the rear edge of th'e (standard Il to the upper corner of the floor at the opening. Said wall preferably has a longitudinal concave curvature as shown in Figure 3 as well as a transverse concave curvature in the direction of the top wall of the eX- tension 3 and the opening 2|.

When the wheels are set so that the plow blades cut and ydepend intoa ditch 23 therefore, the dirt'on one side will be cutstraight down and turned inwardly' by the blade I6, while the dirt on the other side is similarly cut and turned inwardly by the blade i8. The blade I9 then cuts across the bottom of the ditch for its full width and not only cuts the dirt intermediate the path of action of the side blades but gathers up all the cut and-loose dirt and moves the same up the floor 20. As the dirt is thus moved it is deflected toward the open side of the floor by the wall 22 and is delivered onto the ground to the side of the ditch. Even though a portion of the opening 2| is below the level of the ground the dirt cannot fall through this portion of the opening and back into the ditch, on account of the fact that the floor 20 extends to the side of the ditch, which forms a closure for the portion of the opening which is below ground level irrespective of the depth of the ditch. It is of course to be understood that the vertical 'height of the extension and consequently 'the length and height of the opening are greater than the depth of any ditch to be dug so that a certain portion of the opening is always exposed above ground for the discharge of the dirt. The outer surfaces of the plow standards as well as the Walls of the extensions 3 are straight and smooth and lie inthe same longitudinal planes, thus pre-A `venting the walls of the ditch from caving in as the ditch is being dug. y

To `move the 4dirt away from the bank of the ditch as it is deposited on the ground from the ditchl opening, so as to prevent the dirt from possibly dropping back into the ditch after the plow haspassed by, I provide a vertical deecting plate 24. This plateextends with an outward and rearward slope from the rear end of the extension 3 and the discharge opening 2i. plate is supported by a beam 25 which extends from above the plate rearwardly alongside the plow structure to a pivotal-connection with the adjacent bracket plates 8 ahead of the beam il.

Vertical 'adjustment of said plate y24|, to control the level of the same relative to that of the plow structure is effected by means of a cable 2B extending from the power unit on the tractor. This cable is connected to said plate behind the same adjacent its forward corner and toward the bottom and passes over a pulley 21 mounted Said on a post 28 upstanding from and rigid with the adjacent corner of the extension 3. In this manner the plate may be held at ground level or raised clear of the ground when the structure is in a transporting position; as shown in Fig- 5 ure 1. x

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fullls the objects of the invention as set forth herein. 10

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by 15 the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A ditching plow comprising a centrally dis- '20 posed plow beam, transversely spaced parallel walls forming the sides of the beam, and depending therefrom to the bottom and determining the width of the ditch, vertically extending cutters mounted on said walls at their forward end-to 25 cut the sides of the ditch, a bottom cutter extending between the walls rearwardly of the side cutters and a floor extending rearwardly and upwardly from the bottom cutterfor the full width between the walls; one wall only having 30 an opening' extending upwardly from the oor, the bottom of the opening following and being on a level with the floor.

2. A ditching plow 4comprising a tongue-beam, a plow structure rigid with and depending from 85 the rear end of the tongue, said structure including dirt cutting means and means to elevate the cut dirt and deposit the same on the ground to one side of the ditch, a deflector blade to engage the deposited dirt and shift the same laterally 40 and away from the ditch, a beam rigid with the top of the blade and extending forwardly to one side of the plow structure, a pivotal connection between the beam and the tongue, and means between the blade and plow structure at the rear end of .the latter to raise and lower the blade. i

3. A ditching plow comprising vertical side walls spaced apart and determining the width of the ditch, blades'to cut the sides of the ditch I0 mounted on the walls at their forward end, with their cutting edges parallel to the walls, said blades having a longitudinal upward slope tov the rear and being disposed in longitudinally staggered and downwardly converging relation lili` 

